The minimalist, the sleek, the basics, the touch-ups, and the classics, amped-up BB Undereye Concealers, tough mascaras, and a classic red lip to top it off.

Now, that BB Cream is the standard in every bathroom cabinet, vanity tabletop, and tote bag. It moved on to where it's needed the most, those weary bags underneath the eyes and those blemishes.

For high-wattage High Definition flash and glare, the professional studio-grade Smashbox squeeze it's miraculous SMASHBOX CAMERA READY BB CREAM EYES BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 15. It fades the look of dark circles instantly and over time, reduces the appearance of puffiness, visibly smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, and improves firmness-in a click of a pen...you can stash in your clutch.

For the holistic hotties, Tarte BB Tinted Undereye Corrector, with Brush, hydrates, smoothes, and conditions the delicate under-eye area. The
peach-tone, creamy corrector instantly helps perfect the appearance of
skin tone with light-diffusing agents that help brighten and soften the
look of fine lines. The skinvigorating formula also works to help
improve the appearance of skin's texture.

For color...and tears from losing, just swipe Kanebo Sensai 38°C Mascara, resisting tears of laughter and watery eyes from gusty
winds. The 38°Cstands for 38 degrees Celsius, as it’s the temperature of water required to melt the mascara
off your lashes.

All the basics you can stash in your red clutch/evening clutch.

Friday, February 21, 2014

These light-weight multi-purpose skin and hair conditioners are what these Winter Olympians should be using in sixties-degrees Sochi, Russia, e-Cure Treatment toners and shampoo.

The anti-aging M-3.2 multi-purpose toner is more of a light-weight, sort of a "low-calorie" spray-on conditioner for skin and hair. It's an essence quenching thirsty hair and skin.

Instead of a thick, heavy cream slathering and suffocating the pores and follicles when you just want a fresh but calming spritz, the deep sea and wild plant minerals-rich conditioning spray-on M-3.2 Toner repair and moisturize both hair and skin. This multi-purpose toner is light and refreshing, giving your complexion a
dewy, youthful glow.M-3.2 is formulated without any chemicals, so you
can apply it on your skin and hair.

If you're one of the Winter Olympians or sports correspondents who need to multi-purpose, convenient all-in-one skin and hair conditioners to last you for two weeks straight, this scribe can't think of anything better than buying M-3.2 Toner and S-2 Treatment Moisturizing Shampoo.

For moisturized, hydrated hari, grab an e-Cure Measuring Bottle then fill it halfway with S-2 Treatment Moisturizing Shampoo and then fill the remaining half with M-3.2 Toner, mix and shake in the bottle well. Lather the refreshing, light-weight conditioning shampoo + toner mixture in the hair in a foam then massage into the hair and scalp. Leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes, if you have a shower cap, use it. Don't rinse it. Then spray the Anti-Static P-4.1 to fight against static electricity then comb it through to the ends with a wide tooth comb then rinse out. Mixing M-3.2 Toner with S-2 Treatment Moisturizing Shampoo aids in absorption of moisture components in the shampoo.

The conditioning M-3.2 Toner can be used on both hair and skin.

For the skin, Spray M-3.2 after cleansing the face as a toner and pat dry to aid the permeation of your favorite facial lotion or moisturizer.

You can use M-3.2 Toner as a conditioning hair spritz, spray it on during the day to moisturize concentrating on the ends of your hair whenever it feels dry.

It can be also used as a blow dry lotion, spray M-3.2 Toner before drying hair to protect it from heat and resulting in sleek, soft, and shiny hair.

P-4.1 is an ANTI-STATIC liquid lotion containing deep sea minerals with positively charged ions for body, face, and hair. This all-natural product is chemical free and can be used liberally on
both hair and skin. P-4.1 helps to close the hair cuticle and even out
the porosity of the hair. For the best result, use along
with M-3.2 to seal moisture in.

For skin care, lightly
mist face with P-4.1 to seal the moisture after applying your M-3.2 and
your own facial lotion. P-4.1 will help to tighten skin and reduce the
appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

For hair care, spray P-4.1 just before blow drying your hair to extra volume and to fight against static electricity.

The e-CURE TREATMENT S-Series shampoo was developed with a focus on
improving the moisture retention of hair while cleansing. S-Series
Shampoo is ideal for hair that has been damaged by chemical processing
or heat styling. It contains fruit extracts from grapefruit, lime,
lemon, apple and other natural sources that have high moisture retention
power.

Free of sulfates and silicones, the S-Series replenishes and facilitates moisture retention while cleansing the hair.

The S-Series shampoo uses NATURAL surface active agents which have no damaging effects, therefore it is not necessary to follow up with a conditioner after the e-CURE TREATMENT.

It is sure nice to know that it comes in Grapefruit, Japanese Cherry Blossom, and Darjeeling Tea. More than just sweet-smelling scents, fruit and plant extracts from grapefruit, lemons, limes, and apples further moisture retention.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Thanks to climate change, the globe has gone topsy-turvy. Spring Break in Sochi, Russia during the 26th Winter Olympics. Polar Vortex in the Deep South.

For the South's perplexed Southerner in what to wear, time to steal and switch from Northerners. OneStopPlus.com, the world’s first and only web-mall for plus-size women and big & tall men, has you kit out in comforting, cozy, and chic parkas, Wellington booties, and striking capes. Free CountryandOneStopPlus.comcan provide your readers with fair value outerwear options, offering
high-quality, on-trend styles at a competitive price. Free County is
available at numerous major retailers across the country, such as
Kohl’s, JC Penney, Bass Pro Shops and additional
specialty stores.

For Olympic, patriotic junkies such as this scribe, you can crush on Ralph Lauren's official Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Nordic-styled sweater uniforms.

An official outfitter of the
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams since 2008, Ralph Lauren has designed
Team USA’s 2014 Official Opening and Closing Ceremony Parade Uniforms
as well as a unique collection
of village wear apparel and accessories, all of which embody the spirit
of American athleticism and sportsmanship.

Executive Vice President David Lauren comments;
‘Creating clothing for our athletes is extremely time consuming and
the attention to detail is unprecedented. The love and passion that goes
into it is incredible.”

The 230-member 2014 U.S. Olympic Team consists of 106 returning Olympians, including 13 Olympic champions.

Meryl Davis, an ice dancer from the USA whose already
claimed a bronze medal with her partner Charlie White, is one of the athletes featured in the video.
The video captures the elite athletes’ commitment to their sport as well as their excitement for representing their country.

Sochi 2014 is the first
Winter Olympics to be held in Russia since the break-up of the Soviet
Union. With the rise of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, the 2014
Winter Games will see the inclusion
of spin and grab-heavy disciplines such as Ski halfpipe, ski slopestyle
and snowboard slopestyle, all making their Olympic debut.

Deep-freeze Winter fashion doesn't have to be restricted to snow/sleet-proof outerwear.

It also extends to professional office wear as modeled by NBC's sport correspondents.

Lafayette 148 New York has been selected to provide wardrobe services
for certain commentators for NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports
Group, during its production of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi,
Russia, from February 6-February 23. The announcement was made today by
Anne Grotefeld
, Vice President, Game Services NBC Olympics, and
Deirdre Quinn
, Co-Founder and CEO/President of Lafayette 148 New York.

Quinn said: “
It’s an honor to be represented in collaboration with NBC
Olympics’ production of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. While
many women are already familiar with the high level of quality and
luxury of our designs, we are thrilled to be gaining brand exposure on
such a prominent U.S. stage.”

Grotefeld said:
“We are pleased to be working with Lafayette 148 New York in
outfitting certain of our female broadcasters during our coverage of the
2014 Sochi Olympic Games. We have a distinct and accomplished group of
female commentators, and feel the distinguished, modern, sophisticated
style that Lafayette 148 New York is known for is a perfect fit.”

To create excitement and consumer engagement, Lafayette 148 New York
will be active on all their social media platforms throughout the 2014
Sochi Winter Games, including
Facebook
,
Instagram
,
Pinterest
, and
Twitter
(@lafayette148ny).

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Arriviste is really ahead of the curve when it comes to stylish weather boots. A year ago, this scribe raved about the comfort, the stylish compliments, and the all-terrain high heeled Sorel's Media Tall Rain Boots booties,"Surviving New York Fashion Week, in February, in Style & Comfort" http://luxurist.blogspot.com/search?q=Sorel. This scribe had also tried, tested, and trudge through Manhattan's bumpy mean streets inECCO Sculptured 75 Ankle Boot,"Comfort Meets Style for Shopping in Ecco Sculpture 75 Bootie. This Boot is Made for Walking & Strutting."http://luxurist.blogspot.com/2013/12/comfort-meets-style-for-shopping-in.html

This past Sunday's New York Times Fashion and Style article,"What the Elite Wear to Meet the Sleet", http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/fashion/winter-snow-New-York-Fashion-Week.html?ref=fashion&_r=0, vouched the virtues of these stealth, deceptively stylish but tough and comfortable all-weather booties.

Almost a month ago, Laurie Trott, the Los Angeles-based fashion director of the website Who What Wear, was lecturing on sex and fashion on a sunny, balmy L.A. Sunday. Next, she's trudging thru the snow banks in her treasured vintage Sorel Boots she got on Ebay because the Sorel boots she wanted were cleared, retail-wise, during the traditional January clearance sales.

From runway to rainy day, this luxe waterproof rain boot is ideal for
keeping feet dry and comfortable in a downpour – it also happens to be
seriously sexy. The upper features a mix of vulcanized rubber and patent
leather while a molded EVA footbed ensures feet are cushioned and
supported. The stacked leather heel is surprisingly walkable and the
platform rubber sole under the forefoot provides great traction in
slippery circumstances. Glide gracefully through a deluge, into the
office and then on to happy hour. No wonder serious fashionistas were clinging to their Sorel Boots.

Not forgotten, Ecco ECCO Sculptured 75 Ankle Boot are also tough but chic. More importantly, weather-proof and comfortable...

Uppers made of soft rich leather

Leather lining

Leather covered inlay sole with ECCO Comfort Fibre System (ECFS)

Direct injected, one-component PU sole with comfort shank

The ultimate pump in high heel comfort

Heel height is 75 mm (2.6 in)

A true fashionista or a stylista is an hardy soul, who does whatever it takes to cut through the elements that Mother Weather throws at her. Ice, sleet, and snow be damned. Sorel and Ecco Boots are made for walking...all over the rain, sleet, and snow.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Accept it, Valentine's Day is the only time to discuss the connection between desire and commercialism, sex and really comfortable, functional clothing or the lack thereof.

In a rare appearance and lecture, venerable femme fatale fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg dotingly explains why her iconic Wrap Dress was and still is important, that dress sells sex, represent independence, and empowers women. That "Dress" built the foundation of her design empire and her legacy, enough for LACMA to install her complete collection as four-months exhibit, "Journey of a Dress."

The lecturer moderator and host, "W" Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Stefano Tonchi pressed her what is so special about her Wrap Dress, commenting, "It’s a Dress that also covers but also reveals a lot,
reveals the curves, reveals the body.Covers
but uncovers.It ‘s a dress that you can
put on and take off with a simple, one hand.

Not only did it best represent the times of the Seventies, the Sexual Liberation and Women's new-found independence, that dress best sums how she always wanted to her life, "I wanted a man's life in a woman's body."

Plus, the Wrap Dress represent of what was the hottest in fabric technology. It signifies the crossover from the "Mad Men" era of stiff-woven dresses where a woman needs a man to zip her down and out then up and closed.

With women hitting and climbing the career ladder, Diane said it was easy to roll and pack, easy to wash, easy to wear from office to drinks.

As Diane stated, her Wrap Dress, "Made no noise. No zipper. It doesn’t matter how long you take off.It matters in the middle of the night when
you change (then undress. ) It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.”

Joe
Zee, Creative Director of ELLE Magazine, further expand on the links between sex, desire, fashion, and commercialism on Sex & Fashion Discussion Panel at PHOTOLA.

This past Christmas, 40 years-old Kate Moss posed for Playboy; and it
was no big thing.

This is where Joe Zee, Parson School instructor, Rob Younkers connected the dots between desirability and branding a model into a business and career...

Twenty-years ago, Cindy Crawford
posed for Herb Ritts for Playboy; and that was a big thing. Cindy transgressed, crossed many lines, and prospered. She took risks. Building the blueprint of what it means to be a supermodel for many, many, many very young, and very impressible girl models to copy and follow. That moment was a interesting crossroad of when fashion, commercialism, and sex intersected successfully.

Joe Zee, “When Cindy did the Playboy cover twenty years ago,
there was a stigma against it, but Cindy saw and sees herself as a brand and
wants to expand her career beyond a limited market category and discover a
market of consumers. Plus, she picked someone from fashion, not porn, to do her
Playboy shoot.I know Cindy for a
long-time.She was the one to take a
risk.She was the first one to
understand she’s a brand then challenge to take it to a different way.She understood that people read Playboy
really extend her brand beyond fashion and makeup commercialism.As a supermodel, back then, she did take heat
for what she did but she wanted to increase reach and awareness of her brand
then move onto a new market.When she
hosted MTV’s “House of Style,” fashion industry people talk shit about that
multi-media move too, saying supermodels don’t do TV then.People said she was done.But, Cindy said, I took a risk but people
really took to it.Those were the
barriers she helped break.”

In pre-internet/blogging/YouTube days, Cindy Crawford was a pioneering multi-media star who expanded and stretch her career and treated it as a business and brand.

According to Joe Zee, Laurie Trott (Fashion Director of WhoWhatWear), and Juliet Jernigan (LA-based production designer), what differentiates the distinction between fashion and porn is the composition or/and juxaposition and the photographer's professional background.

Joe added bits of wise trivia because he knew Cindy for a good twenty-years in the fashion magazine industry.

For Cindy to do Playboy, she wasn’t going to do it with a
Playboy photographer. Cindy, “If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it with one of my
best friends, Herb Ritts.” She got a fashion photographer to crossover and do Playboy.

For a former Elle Magazine photo editor who knows both fashion photographers and Playboy photographers,Juliet Jernigan, a Los Angeles-based production designer, “For these photographers, doing a shoot for
Playboy is no different from doing a shoot for (more commercial) Allure,
Glamour.In Playboy, it’s tougher to
push and be artistic.Some fashion/art
photographers feel like if they do one Playboy shoot, their image will be

"There is a morality clause at each magazine stating what can
be shown and what can’t be shown. Magazines depend on the shelf and rack position.Most want to avoid be wrapped in plastic
sleeve and shoved in the corner."

"Also, the more mass-market magazines are restricted because
they want to appeal to everyone."

"The smaller magazines, such as the old W Magazine could get
away with more nudity and more risks because it has a smaller circulation, put
on a less noticeable shelf position, and has more cultured, educated
readerswho are better-traveled."

"Plus, it’s the juxtaposition and the composition and what
type of reader a publication or ad is going after."

Even Joe Zee asked, "What’s and where’s the borderline because we’re in an
industry where it’s legal to ask a fifteen years-old to take her clothes off,
that’s borderline illegal.In an arts
context, yes…we applaud it and celebrate it as beauty and art but at what
point?”

“At what point will it does censure and wouldn’t?It wouldn’t matter anymore because we see it
all…Just a little bit starts to open the door.At some point, it will be wide-open and we seen it all.”

Joe's co-panelist, Rob Younkers of Parson's School of Design jumped in on when to push it. He said he was the first American designer to be hired at Dolce & Gabbana. On his first day of work, Stefano Gabbana said, overlooking Rob’s first creation, “It’s not vulgar
enough, make it vulgar.”This is when
and where Rob learned how to push it and make it “sexy.” It was at Dolce & Gabbana that he learned to incorporate sex into fashion.

Both Joe and Rob agree that, “It’s all about composition.There is Sensual, Sexy, and Sex.Sensual is mystery. Sexy is aggressive.Sex is blantant.

For Laurie Trott of Fashion Director of WhoWhatWear, “It’s all about who’s the photographer and the
context of the shoot.When dealing a
fifteen years-old model, she’s very self-conscious about her body, making the
whole situation uncomfortable. These Eastern European teen models are desperate but very
nervous and very self-conscious yet very needy and photographers do take
advantage of that.“Then again, they’re
in a culture where it’s okay to be topless on the beach.They don’t flinch at taking their top off.As long it is not lewd, they do feel
comfortable.”

Laurie also discusses desperation breeds competition, “Remember,
these girls were selling fruit on the roadside in Russia.When given the chance, they will take that
chance, that break to become that next Kate Moss.”

Juliet, “The onething that people do forget is that…this is a relationship where both
parties have to feel comfortable.For
Terry Richardson to get those photographs is incredible.Whenever I look at a photography, I think ‘Fuck,
how do they get that girl to do that?!This is difficult to pull off a shoot and I guess that’s what gets Terry
to wake up every morning to do that.”

It's also about access, position, and influence. Juliet Jernigan, former Elle Magazine Photo Editor
overseeing the shoots and now a Los Angeles production designer, “The nerdy guys become
photographers to get hot girls to pose for them.”